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| Origin = {{flagicon|England}} [[London, England]]
| Origin = {{flagicon|England}} [[London, England]]
| Country = [[England]]
| Country = [[England]]
| Genre = <!--Do NOT add genres without a reliable source-->[[Post-hardcore]]<ref name="amg">{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:fcfwxqtsldse~T1|title=Fightstar Biography|publisher=All Music|accessdate=2009-01-29}}</ref><br>[[Alternative metal]]<ref>http://www.spirit-of-metal.com/groupe-groupe-Fightstar-l-en.html</ref><br>[[Alternative rock]]<ref name="might">{{cite web|url=http://www.musicmight.com/artist/uk/london/fightstar|title=Fightstar Biography|publisher=Music Might|accessdate=2009-07-15}}</ref><br>[[Experimental rock]]<ref name="rocksound">{{cite web|url=http://www.rocksound.tv/reviews/article/fightstar-be-human|title=Be Human Review|publisher=Rock Sound|accessdate=2009-07-15}}</ref>
| Genre = <!--Do NOT add genres without a reliable source-->[[Post-hardcore]]<ref name="amg">{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:fcfwxqtsldse~T1|title=Fightstar Biography|publisher=All Music|accessdate=2009-01-29}}</ref><br>[[Alternative rock]]<ref name="might">{{cite web|url=http://www.musicmight.com/artist/uk/london/fightstar|title=Fightstar Biography|publisher=Music Might|accessdate=2009-07-15}}</ref><br>[[Experimental rock]]<ref name="rocksound">{{cite web|url=http://www.rocksound.tv/reviews/article/fightstar-be-human|title=Be Human Review|publisher=Rock Sound|accessdate=2009-07-15}}</ref>
| Years_active = 2003 - present<ref name="Rate">{{cite web|url=http://rateyourmusic.com/artist/fightstar|title=Fightstar|publisher=Rate Your Music|accessdate=2009-07-21}}</ref>
| Years_active = 2003 - present<ref name="Rate">{{cite web|url=http://rateyourmusic.com/artist/fightstar|title=Fightstar|publisher=Rate Your Music|accessdate=2009-07-21}}</ref>
| Label = [[Play It Again Sam (record label)|Search and Destroy]], [[Trustkill Records|Trustkill]]<br><small>(see [[#Record Labels|record labels]])</small>
| Label = [[Play It Again Sam (record label)|Search and Destroy]], [[Trustkill Records|Trustkill]]<br><small>(see [[#Record Labels|record labels]])</small>

Revision as of 13:57, 2 August 2009

Fightstar

Fightstar are a four-piece alternative rock band from London, England.[1]

During the band's initial emergence, they were faced with much negative press and criticism due to Charlie Simpson's former pop career. However, they began to receive positive reactions to early live shows and their debut EP, They Liked You Better When You Were Dead was a critical success.[5]

Since then, their subsequent three studio albums have received praise and positive critical reviews. Indeed, Editor Paul Brannigan of weekly rock magazine Kerrang! stated that their debut album, Grand Unification, was "one of the best British rock albums of the past decade".[5] They have also been nominated at the Kerrang! Awards for 'Best British Newcomer' and 'Best British Band'.[6]

Simpson has often discussed his feelings on the initial animosity aimed towards the band. During a interview in 2009 he said, "Back in the day when Fightstar was created, there was a lot of curiosity and pre-conceptions. But someone who can write something off without even giving it a chance is just an ignorant little child. People like that just wash off my back like dirt, really".[7]

History

2003 - 2004: Origins

Fightstar formed in late 2003 after Alex Westaway and Charlie Simpson (then in pop band Busted) met at a party in Simpson's London home. Following an impromptu jam session, Westaway and Simpson decided to form a band and moved in together. After a few songs had been written, the band recruited bassist Dan Haigh, a school friend of guitarist Westaway and drummer Omar Abidi.

Simpson had made the decision to quit the pop trio, stating he wasn't being fulfilled musically and wanted to focus solely on his alternative rock side-project. In January 2005, the split was announced and the frontman immediately began playing shows with Fightstar. This was followed by the release of their debut EP in February which was recorded during 2004 whilst he was still a member of Busted.

2004 - 2005: They Liked You Better When You Were Dead EP

Fightstar's debut EP, They Liked You Better When You Were Dead, was released on February 28, 2005, following a rapid promotional tour of the UK. The release proved popular enough to warrant a reprinting on March 23, 2005. The first track, "Palahniuk's Laughter", enjoyed heavy rotation on music video channels and spent many weeks in charts based on video and radio requests. The track was originally entitled "Out Swimming in the Flood", but was renamed after the 2004 tsunami. The EP was heavily influenced by the author Chuck Palahniuk, with the band naming a song after him ("Palahniuk's Laughter") and including a drawing of Edward Norton's character in the film adaptation of the Palahniuk book Fight Club.

The release was via the band's own imprint label - Sandwich Leg Records which was distributed through Universal Records. Soon after the release of the EP, they signed to Universal Island Records and started recording their first full length LP.

2005 - 2006: Grand Unification

Fightstar went into the studio in October 2005 to start work on their first full length offering. They re-recorded three songs from their debut EP, which were 'Mono', 'Hazy Eyes', and 'Lost Like Tears In Rain'.

The band's first single, "Paint Your Target" was released on June 13, 2005 in the UK, peaking at #9 in the singles chart. Their second single, "Grand Unification Part 1" was released on October 31, 2005, and peaked at #20 in the UK singles chart.

A new version of They Liked You Better When You Were Dead was released in early 2006 through Deep Elm Records in America. This version contained nine tracks as apposed to the UK's six.

In March 2006, they were listed by the US rock magazine Alternative Press as one of the 100 bands to watch for that year.

The band released their first full-length album on 13 March 2006 through Island Records, entitled Grand Unification. Produced and mixed by Colin Richardson (Bullet for My Valentine, Machine Head, Funeral for a Friend), the album entered the midweek’s at #11 and ended up debuting at #28 in the UK charts. Grand Unification was released in America in March 2007, along with a full US tour.

Further singles taken from this album were "Waste a Moment", "Grand Unification (Part 1)" and "Hazy Eyes". The band also played a slot at the Download Festival at Donington Park Race Track and also headlined the Sunday of Welsh rock music festival The Full Ponty under Biffy Clyro and Funeral for a Friend. Fightstar toured with Funeral for a Friend for three months in 2006 covering such places as Australia, Japan and the United Kingdom.

They have also covered Metallica's "Leper Messiah" and Deftones' "My Own Summer" for Kerrang! magazine free CD giveaways during 2006, as well as covering Deftones' "Minerva" acoustically, which is available on the 7" vinyl version of the "Waste A Moment" single.

The band released Grand Unification, in the US and Canada on April 17, 2007. The release differs from the British and Japanese versions by including the "Hazy Eyes" B-Side and "Fight For Us" as a 14th track.

2007 - 2008: One Day Son, This Will All Be Yours

After leaving Island records due to a disagreement over the bands artistic direction,[8] Fightstar signed to an independent label called Institute Records which was a division of Gut Records to release their second album.[9]

The band hit the road for an extensive tour beginning at Glasgow Barrowlands on October 8, 2006 with a supporting cast including The Blackout, The Receiving End of Sirens and Oceansize.

They recorded One Day Son, This Will All Be Yours in LA with producer Matt Wallace who has also produced Faith No More, Satchel, Deftones and Sugarcult. The album was released on September 24, 2007.[10]

The first single from One Day Son, This Will All Be Yours was called "99". It was released as a free download-only single on 23 April 2007, and is available from a microsite was launched by Fightstar.[10] The music video for "99" was shown on Scuzz TV and Kerrang TV.

The second single to be taken from the album was "We Apologise for Nothing". The single reached number 1 in the UK Independent Chart. The music video for the third single, "Deathcar" was made available on the bands MySpace on 22 November 2007. Although appearing to be a low budget video, the version on MySpace is an edited, "clean" version. After the release of the "uncut" version of the video on 28 November 2007, Charlie Simpson confirmed via a live forum chat on the band's official website that due to the last minute planning to release "Deathcar" a budget of only £500 was available. The band however confirmed they are "100% happy" with the shoot and enjoyed the change of making a lo-fi video. "Deathcar" went on to debut at #2 on both the UK Indie and Rock Charts.

The fourth single, "Floods" made its debut at No.3 in the UK Indie Chart. They also performed BBC Radio 1 live sessions on this single campaign for Colin Murray and Dan P Carter.

The band went on a 10 date UK tour during May with support from London four piece Brigade and unsigned Essex band We Are The Ocean already confirmed. The tour included a date at Carling Academy Islington on 29 May, and at the Leeds Slam Dunk Festival on 25 May

The last single from the album was titled "I Am The Message". It was released on 16 June 2008 as a double A side single with the other side being the bands cover of "Waiting For Superman", which was recorded for the Colin Murray Show on Radio 1. This was the band's first single to be added to the Radio 1 playlist.

2008 - present: Alternate Endings and Be Human

On 11 August 2008, the band released a b-sides album called Alternate Endings. It features a selection of the band's b-sides, live radio sessions, covers and a previously unreleased track.[11]

Then, at the Download rock festival of 2008, the four-piece told press they would be returning to the studio in August to start recording their next album due for early 2009 and that they already have at least four songs demoed. The album’s name was confirmed as Be Human.[12] The band recorded a cover of "Fear of the Dark" for an Iron Maiden cover CD called Maiden Heaven: A Tribute to Iron Maiden, featuring various artists, which was given away with the July 16 issue of Kerrang! magazine.

They also headlined the Rocksound Cave stage on the Saturday at Guilfest, and headlined Greenbelt festival's Mainstage in 2008.[13]

Due to Gut Records going into administration at the end of 2008,[14] Fightstar decided to put out their new album Be Human on their own, in a joint venture with their management company Raw Power on a label called Search and Destroy. The new record was distributed through PIAS Records.[15] In an interview Charlie Simpson said "This was something that we had always wanted to do and figured this would be the perfect time to do it. It is an exciting prospect to be able to own the rights to our own record with the music industry changing at such a rapid pace, I think it's something that more bands will be looking to do in the future."

Fightstar released their first single from the album, "The English Way", on 3 November 2008 and it reached number 1 in the UK rock chart. The video was played on Kerrang! and Scuzz T.V. stations and also reached number 1 on the MTV2 top 10. The album was co-produced by the band along with Carl Bown, in Bown's state of the art Chesterfield based studio; Treehouse Studios. In interviews leading up to the album release, the band commented that the new record would be "quite different" from their previous releases. Charlie Simpson stated they wanted to experiment with more of a "rock opera" sound including full strings and choir. However, he also pointed out that although it may be different, it will remain Fightstar and still include their trademark dark and heavy elements.[16]

The band supported Feeder for the first part of their UK tour, which started on 21 October 2008. Drummer Jason Bowld had filled in for drummer Omar Abidi on their UK tour, while he recovered from a broken wrist. Abidi returned to touring with the band early in 2009.[17] Due to Abidi's hand injury, Simpson filled in to play drums on a six tracks for the new album.[7]

Next single, "Mercury Summer", was released on 6 April 2009, as announced on their MySpace page on 2 February 2009. Tracks include; Mercury Summer, Athea, We Left Tracks Of Fire, Mercury Summer (Acoustic) and Mercury Summer (Nero vs. Ohms remix) which was half produced by Abidi. Athea being a b-side to the physical cd and We Left Tracks Of Fire a b-side on the 7" Vinyl, all available to purchase online at various online stores and websites. Later that week on 4 February, they announced a 12-date UK tour with support from In Case of Fire and Laruso. The video for "Mercury Summer" debuted on their MySpace page on 25 February.

The reception for the single was extremely positive, with the song reaching the A List on the Radio 1 Playlist and remaining there for 4 weeks. It was also received well after the band featured on BBC2 music show Sound. "Mercury Summer" was also added to the daytime playlist at XFM Radio and was picked for Ian Camfield's Record of The Week. Emma Scott and Kerrang Radio station also made "Mercury Summer" her Record of The Week.

On 7 April 2009 the NME website announced that Fightstar were to perform at the 2009 Download Festival. On 26 May 2009, it was announced by the official website that Fightstar will be playing the main stage at the 2009 Reading/Leeds Festivals.

On 9 April 2009 the final album version of "Colours Bleed To Red" was played on the Colin Murray show. Murray said about the previous single "Mercury Summer" "It's only when you hear it in the context of the album that it makes total sense.' 'It's actually a little bit more experimental while at the same time being a bit mainstream" he also said that Be Human is "Quintessential Fightstar with all these new parts to it.' 'Very impressed with it indeed'"

During July 2009, the bands second album, One Day Son, This Will All Be Yours was re-released through Edsel Records. This deluxe edition has a second CD with the b-sides from the various singles off the album, and also serves as the albums U.S release. There are also rumours that the bands third album, Be Human will be re-released in late 2009.[18]

Members

Current members

Record Labels

UK
US

Discography

Further information: Fightstar discography
EPs
Compilation Albums
Studio Albums

References

  1. ^ a b "Fightstar Biography". All Music. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
  2. ^ "Fightstar Biography". Music Might. Retrieved 2009-07-15.
  3. ^ "Be Human Review". Rock Sound. Retrieved 2009-07-15.
  4. ^ "Fightstar". Rate Your Music. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
  5. ^ a b "INTERVIEW: Fightstar". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
  6. ^ "Fightstar up for best band award". CBBC. Retrieved 2009-07-15.
  7. ^ a b "Orange Music Interview - Fightstar". YouTube. Retrieved 2009-07-15.
  8. ^ "Fightstar end Island Records contract". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2006-09-08.
  9. ^ "Fightstar Biography". NME. Retrieved 2009-07-15.
  10. ^ a b "Fightstar return with free download". tourdates.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-04-23.
  11. ^ "Fightstar to release "Alternate Endings" Album". Melodic.net. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
  12. ^ "Fightstar sets "Be Human" Release Date & Single Details". Melodic.net. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
  13. ^ "Photographs of Fightstar from Greenbelt Festival". www.flickr.com/photos/greenbelt.
  14. ^ "Gut Records' status in question". Music Week. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
  15. ^ "Fightstar will Never Change". The Music Fix. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
  16. ^ "Fightstar do it The English Way". Female First. Retrieved 2008-10-27.
  17. ^ "Jason Bowld & Fightstar - "The English Way" (live)". YouTube. Retrieved 2008-05-10.
  18. ^ "Fightstar to re-release "Be Human" Album". mercenarypublicity. Retrieved 2009-22-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
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